diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Context/Support/ContextRegistry.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Context/Support/ContextRegistry.cs
index 8af8cb27..0cb4d4ab 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Context/Support/ContextRegistry.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Context/Support/ContextRegistry.cs
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ using System.Configuration;
 using Common.Logging;
 using Spring.Context.Events;
 using Spring.Util;
+using Spring.Objects.Factory;
+using Spring.Objects.Factory.Support;
 
 #endregion
 
@@ -102,6 +104,51 @@ namespace Spring.Context.Support
             get { return syncRoot; }
         }
 
+        private static void ConstructNestedDefaultContextName(IApplicationContext context)
+        {
+            IApplicationContext parent = context.ParentContext;
+
+            Hashtable contexts = new Hashtable();
+
+            int contextIndex = 0;
+
+            contexts.Add(contextIndex, context);
+
+            while (parent != null)
+            {
+                contextIndex++;
+                contexts.Add(contextIndex, parent);
+                parent = parent.ParentContext;
+            }
+
+            string prefix = string.Empty;
+
+            for (int i = contextIndex; i > 0; i--)
+            {
+                IApplicationContext contextToUpdate = (IApplicationContext)contexts[i];
+
+                if (prefix != string.Empty)
+                    prefix = string.Format("{0}/{1}", prefix, contextToUpdate.Name);
+                else
+                    prefix = contextToUpdate.Name;
+
+            }
+
+            context.Name = string.Format("{0}/{1}", prefix, context.Name);
+        }
+
+        private static void EnsureHierarchicalNameIfDefault(IApplicationContext context)
+        {
+            //if there is no parent context there is no change needed
+            if (context.ParentContext == null)
+                return;
+
+            if (context.Name == AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName)
+                ConstructNestedDefaultContextName(context);
+
+        }
+
+
         /// <summary> 
         /// Registers an instance of an
         /// <see cref="Spring.Context.IApplicationContext"/>. 
@@ -119,6 +166,9 @@ namespace Spring.Context.Support
         /// </exception>
         public static void RegisterContext(IApplicationContext context)
         {
+
+            EnsureHierarchicalNameIfDefault(context);
+
             lock (syncRoot)
             {
                 if (instance.contextMap.Contains(context.Name))
diff --git a/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/CommonTypes.cs b/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/CommonTypes.cs
index 87cf6146..a7dae679 100644
--- a/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/CommonTypes.cs
+++ b/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/CommonTypes.cs
@@ -254,9 +254,17 @@ namespace Spring.Context
 			_mockName = name;
 			factory = new DefaultListableObjectFactory();
 //			factory.AddObjectPostProcessor(new ApplicationContextAwareProcessor(this));
-		}
+        }
 
-		public MockApplicationContext(string name, IApplicationContext parentContext) : base(name, true, parentContext)
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Initializes a new instance of the MockApplicationContext class.
+        /// </summary>
+        public MockApplicationContext(IApplicationContext parentContext)
+        {
+            factory = new DefaultListableObjectFactory(parentContext);
+        }
+
+        public MockApplicationContext(string name, IApplicationContext parentContext) : base(name, true, parentContext)
 		{
 			_mockName = name;
 			factory = new DefaultListableObjectFactory(GetInternalParentObjectFactory());
diff --git a/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/Support/ContextRegistryTests.cs b/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/Support/ContextRegistryTests.cs
index 4c204b5a..23ba7a03 100644
--- a/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/Support/ContextRegistryTests.cs
+++ b/test/Spring/Spring.Core.Tests/Context/Support/ContextRegistryTests.cs
@@ -249,6 +249,7 @@ namespace Spring.Context.Support
             ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(duplicate);
         }
 
+        
         [Test]
         public void RemovesContextFromRegistryWhenContextCloses()
         {
@@ -259,5 +260,95 @@ namespace Spring.Context.Support
             appCtx.Dispose();
             Assert.IsFalse(ContextRegistry.IsContextRegistered(appCtx.Name));
         }
+
+        [TestFixture]
+        public class WhenHierarchicalContextsAllHaveDefaultNames
+        {
+            private MockApplicationContext _parentContext;
+            private MockApplicationContext _childContext;
+            private MockApplicationContext _grandChildContext;
+            private MockApplicationContext _greatGrandChildContext;
+
+            private string _expectedParentName;
+            private string _expectedChildName;
+            private string _expectedGrandChildName;
+            private string _expectedGreatGrandChildName;
+
+
+            [TestFixtureSetUp]
+            public void InitializeAllTests()
+            {
+                _expectedParentName = AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName;
+                _expectedChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}", _expectedParentName, AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName);
+                _expectedGrandChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}/{2}",_expectedParentName, _expectedChildName, AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName);
+                _expectedGreatGrandChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}/{2}/{3}",_expectedParentName, _expectedChildName, _expectedGrandChildName, AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName);
+            }
+
+            [SetUp]
+            public void Setup()
+            {
+                //ensure prior-registered contexts are removed
+                ContextRegistry.Clear();
+
+                _parentContext = new MockApplicationContext();
+                _parentContext.MockName = "parent";
+
+                _childContext = new MockApplicationContext(_parentContext);
+                _childContext.MockName = "child";
+                _childContext.ParentContext = _parentContext;
+
+                _grandChildContext = new MockApplicationContext(_childContext);
+                _grandChildContext.MockName = "grandchild";
+                _grandChildContext.ParentContext = _childContext;
+
+                _greatGrandChildContext = new MockApplicationContext(_grandChildContext);
+                _greatGrandChildContext.MockName = "greatgrandchild";
+                _greatGrandChildContext.ParentContext = _grandChildContext;
+            }
+
+
+            [Test]
+            public void RegisterContext_ConstructsNestedPathBasedNames_IfRegisterdInHierarchicalOrder()
+            {
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_parentContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_childContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_grandChildContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_greatGrandChildContext);
+
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedParentName, ContextRegistry.GetContext().Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedChildName).Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedGrandChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedGrandChildName).Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedGreatGrandChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedGreatGrandChildName).Name);
+            }
+
+            [Test]
+            public void RegisterContext_ConstructsNestedPathBasedNames_IfRegisteringAMixOfDefaultAndExplicitNamedContexts()
+            {
+                //modify the expected names for the decendent contexts for this one test
+                string childContextInitialName = AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName + "_CUSTOM";
+                _expectedChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}", _expectedParentName, childContextInitialName);
+                _expectedGrandChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}/{2}", _expectedParentName, _expectedChildName, AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName);
+                _expectedGreatGrandChildName = string.Format("{0}/{1}/{2}/{3}", _expectedParentName, _expectedChildName, _expectedGrandChildName, AbstractApplicationContext.DefaultRootContextName);
+
+                //setup custom child instance for this one test
+                _childContext = new MockApplicationContext(_expectedChildName);
+                _childContext.MockName = "child";
+                _childContext.ParentContext = _parentContext;
+                _grandChildContext.ParentContext = _childContext;
+
+                //register contexts in conflict with hierarchical order
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_parentContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_childContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_grandChildContext);
+                ContextRegistry.RegisterContext(_greatGrandChildContext);
+
+
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedParentName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedParentName).Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedChildName).Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedGrandChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedGrandChildName).Name);
+                Assert.AreEqual(_expectedGreatGrandChildName, ContextRegistry.GetContext(_expectedGreatGrandChildName).Name);
+            }
+        }
+
     }
 }